The Virar police Friday exhumed the body of a 40-day-old girl who had been killed by her father in May and buried in a graveyard.

Kailash Bhande, 30, a Virar-based electrical fitter, was arrested on Thursday for allegedly killing his first-born infant daughter, Yogita, as he wanted a son. Bhande’s father-in-law, Vithal Yeaskar, a resident of Akola, approached the Virar police station after being informed about the murder by the infant’s mother, and a murder case was registered against Bhande.

Inspector Yusuf Shaikh who is attached with the Virar police station, said, “Yogita’s body was buried without a post-mortem being conducted. We have got her body exhumed and sent it to JJ hospital for the post-mortem.”

According to the complaint, Bhande strangulated Yogita at their residence in Phoolpada, Virar (East) in the early hours of May 15.

An officer said Bhande got married to Vaishnavi in Akola at least a year ago, after which they moved to Virar. Bhande wanted a boy and had been “warning” Vaishnavi against having a girl child. Vaishnavi got pregnant last year and gave birth to a girl child in April.

Bhande had constant fights with Vaishnavi ever since. Finally, on May 15, after another fight, he pushed his wife out of the house, bolted the door and allegedly strangulated the daughter to death. He then allowed Vaishnavi inside the house and told her that their daughter was sleeping, added the officer.

Next day, Bhande rushed Yogita to Virar Rural Hospital, complaining that she was not breathing, according to the police. She was declared dead on arrival. However, no autopsy was done since doctors thought some breathing issue had led to her death. Her body was buried the same day.

Vaishnavi later reportedly questioned her husband and he confessed to having killed the infant.

After this, Bhande convinced Vaishnavi to return to their hometown in Akola. On reaching Akola, Vaishnavi told her parents about what had happened. She, along with her father, arrived in Virar after some days and filed a police complaint. Bhande was initially absconding and was finally arrested on Thursday after Vaishnavi called him and said she wanted to meet him. He has been booked under sections 302 (murder), 201 (disappearance of evidence) and 182 (false information) of the Indian Penal Code.

He has been remanded in police custody till June 15. An officer said he was still maintaining that his daughter had died due to the heat.